White Bean Tomato Sauce for Pasta

Kay-t's Note:

A hearty sauce to serve over pasta. A perennial easy favorite of mine, and a great way to add protein to pasta meals. This comes from the Vegetarian Express Lane Cookbook by Sarah Fritschner. I typically make this w/o olives and parsley, but have tried it with up to a 1/4 cup parsley with delicious results. Can be vegan if cheese is omitted.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 (14 ½ ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• ½ cup fresh parsley , chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans or 1 (15 ounce) can other white beans
• ¼ cup black olives (optional)
• 1 cup feta cheese , crumbled

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.
3. Add tomatoes, parsley (optional) and oregano. Simmer at least 10 minutes, or until mixture has thickened considerably. The longer the simmer the better the taste.
4. Add white beans and olives (optional) and cook, stirring, to heat through.
5. Serve sauce over pasta and top with feta cheese.

Reviews

[Shana C]

VERY easy and quite good! I served it on cheese ravioli, so the feta did not add anything. I crushed the garlic instead of mincing it so that the garlic flavor was milder and the preparation was quicker.

[jennifer in new jersey]

i knew this dish would be good from the ingredients but i was pleasantly surprised at the end result. this sauce had a very deep and rich yet simple flavor to it. it tasted very authentic to something that my grandmother from italy would make. i didnt use feta but did add just a few anchovies and i let it simmer for half the day on the lowest setting. it was very good and better yet; very simple to make. thanks for the delicious, nutritious and easy recipe.